DAs and attorneys call on gov to expand atty loan forgiveness program

DAs and attorneys call on gov to expand atty loan forgiveness program

As the end of the year approaches, the New York legal community this week made their pitch to Governor Kathy Hochul for expanding student loan assistance for attorneys working in the public sector, who often get paid far less than their private sector counterparts.

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Wrongfully convicted Queens man gets largest settlement in city history

Wrongfully convicted Queens man gets largest settlement in city history

George Bell, a man from Queens who spent more than half his life in prison for a crime he did not commit, is now the recipient of the largest settlement payout for a wrongful conviction in New York City history. 

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Gov signs anti-human trafficking bills into law in Queens

Gov signs anti-human trafficking bills into law in Queens

The governor was in Queens on Wednesday to announce a number of new initiatives to fight human trafficking throughout the state. From inside the Glow Cultural Center in Downtown Flushing, Governor Kathy Hochul signed several bills aimed at decreasing instances of human trafficking, which she called one of the “most enduring forms…of exploitation.”

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Queens voters think outside the box in race for district attorney

Queens voters think outside the box in race for district attorney

Not all of the 64,000 Queens voters who cast a ballot in the recent Democratic primary race for Queens district attorney bubbled in a vote for incumbent DA Melinda Katz or challengers George Grasso or Devian Daniels. Instead, a small portion of the Queens electorate chose to write-in a candidate for the borough’s top prosecutor. 

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Historic 12-week murder trial ends with two 50 year sentences

Historic 12-week murder trial ends with two 50 year sentences

The historically long 12-week Queens murder trial that wrapped six-years after the killing is now, finally finished after sentencing on Wednesday.  Judge Ira Margulis sentenced both defendants, Shakim Allen and Dreshaun Smith, both 29-years-old and from Jamaica, to 50 years in prison for the 2017 murder of Rocky Kalisaran and the wounding of his brother Sonny  – which was the first homicide of that year.

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